K-9 Shield leads BPD in breaking up suspected bike ring

Buffalo Police say Shield detained a suspect in the basement and led police to the bike ring.

Author:
Jeff Preval

Published:
5:36 PM EDT October 16, 2018

Updated:
11:20 PM EDT October 16, 2018

BUFFALO, NY - Buffalo has been making strides in recent years to make the city more bicycle-friendly and crimes like one Monday night are frustrating to plenty of people.

During a police raid, nearly 90 bikes suspected of being stolen were found in one Buffalo home. So many bikes that a flat bed truck was needed to haul them away. David Jeff lives across the street.

"I noticed that bicycles just kept coming out of the house one by one. It's not something you see everyday for sure, it was quite unusual to see that many bikes," Jeff said.

Sources tell us Buffalo Police were watching the lower portion of a house located at 536 Plymouth Avenue, for possible drug activity. Monday night, police made their move. Leading the way, K-9 Shield, Officer Craig Lehner's partner. Wednesday will mark one year since Officer Lehner was found dead, after a training exercise in the Niagara River. Police say Shield detained a suspect in the basement and led police to the bike ring.

"In terms of a recovery like this, where we can put this many bicycles that we believe were stolen in one location, it's pretty rare," said Captain Jeff Rinaldo of the Buffalo Police Department.

Two men were arrested on drug, weapon, and possession of stolen property charges. The bikes are now being stored at the Buffalo Police Department's old headquarters. Mountain bikes, racing and children's bikes are here. Investigators believe they could've been resold, or stripped down for parts.

"We are in the process now of beginning the very lengthy and time consuming indexing of all these bicycles," Rinaldo said.

Police say they've gotten a lot of calls from people, who have had bikes stolen, asking if their bike is here.

"In order to receive one of these bikes back, you will have to have some type of identifying information whether it's a proof of purchase, a receipt, something that will allow us to confirm you are the rightful owner of the bike," Rinaldo said.

Police tell us they have to keep the bikes for a minimum of 90 days, then they could be auctioned.